


The magic that binds us

by Static_pulse



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Identity Reveal, Kwami Swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-06 13:44:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19063867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Static_pulse/pseuds/Static_pulse
Summary: Chat noir had always dreamed about Ladybug revealing her identity to him but he never imagined or wished it would happen this way. With the love of his life partially out of action, Chat noir must take charge, save Paris and suffer through it all with the knowledge that Master Fu has banned him from revealing his identity to Ladybug.





	1. The purrrfect start

~Chat noir~  
The sun was setting, releasing a hazy orange hue across the Paris sky. Chat noir leant on his staff, watching as Ladybug zipped from building to building away from him towards the horizon, sighing deeply as she disappeared from view.

“If only she’d be mine,” he whispered to himself before stretching and beginning to make his way back home, conscious of the little time he had before de-transforming.

His suit dematerialised off his body as he leapt through the bedroom window and rolled directly onto his bed. Plagg appeared next to him, instantly making his way to the small cabinet that held his favourite cheese, Camembert, inside. Adrien moved his arms behind his head and crossed his legs, staring up at the ceiling as he drifted into a world of daydreams. Today had been an exceptionally good day. Ladybug hadn’t been rejecting him as hard as usual, giving him reason to think that he may still have a chance of winning her heart. 

“I’m never going to get over her,” he whispered to Plagg, “That girl is perfect in every way!” 

Plagg rolled his eyes, focusing on gulping down his cheese before responding.

“Yeah yeah, I know, she’s the love of your life, the Camembert to your heart. I still don’t get how you can love someone that you don’t even know the identity of though!”

Adrien chuckled.  
“How do you know that you’ll enjoy the Camembert I order before it gets here?”

Plagg scowled, “It’s Camembert! That’s different!”

Then, without another word, Adrien fell asleep.

 

~Ladybug~  
Marinette landed on her balcony with a magnificent spin, diving through the hatch and onto her bed. She de-transformed and quickly slid down the stairs from her bed, landing on the couch.

“How am I so graceful as Ladybug and so clumsy as Marinette?” She said to Tikki as she attempted to catch the pot of pencils that she’d knocked from her desk, failing at catching any more than one. 

She sighed in frustration as she bent down to pick the rest up. Tikki helped, laughing at Marinette’s comment. 

“Well, you gain superhero agility when you’re Ladybug and your mind is focused on a limited amount of things: saving people and catching the Akuma!” 

Marinette thought about this. “I guess I do have a lot on my mind as Marinette. I always have so much to do now that my life as Ladybug has taken over so much of my time!”

Marinette sighed another deep sigh before getting ready for bed and falling into a deep sleep consisting of only a few hours.

 

Her alarm blared loudly in her ear, causing her to groan in protest. Marinette rolled over onto her back, cracking open her eyes slowly and glaring at the ceiling. She felt more and more drained every day.  
Tikki yawned beside her, stretching as she did. 

“Marinette! You’re gonna be late if you stay up there for much longer!” Her mum called up.

“Coming mum!” She yelled back, forcing herself out of her bed and down the stairs. She grabbed her average every day outfit and quickly got changed, picking up her school bag before disappearing downstairs. 

On her way out through the bakery, her dad threw her a croissant to eat on the way.  
“Thanks dad!” She shouted as she ran out. 

Trying to keep a smile upon her face, Marinette made her way towards school.

~CN~  
Adrien blinked in a feeble attempt to stay awake as his head slipped off his hand and down his arm, landing on the desk. 

“Adrien please pay attention!” 

His head snapped back up as he apologised repeatedly, trying to focus on the lesson. He looked around at everyone else, making eye contact with Marinette, who looked concerned. Adrien smiled reassuringly, but couldn’t help but notice that she also looked very tired. 

“Were you and Marinette hanging out last night or something? You both look super phased out!” Nino joked. 

“Haha imagine my dad letting me out of the house that late,” Adrien replied, avoiding the topic of what he’d actually been up to. Saving Paris was pretty damn tiring but he’d have to save his complaining for Plagg. 

The lesson bore on and Adrien struggled to stay attentive, his mind dipping in between consciousness and sleep. Finally the bell rang and everyone started making their way to the door, ready for break. 

“Marinette!” he heard Alya shout.  
Adrien turned around to see what was wrong. Marinette was fast asleep, her head resting on her folded arms and her eyelids fluttering along with her dreams. 

Alya shook her and she woke up, her eyes only opening half way. “Why are you so tired, girl?!” Alya waved her arms at Marinette who was now in the process of standing up.

“Late night homework,” Marinette mumbled, not noticing Nino and Adrien watching her as she stumbled towards the door. She tripped on the last step, her eyes suddenly widening as she realised her fault.  
Adrien rushed forwards, determined to catch his friend, but in the struggle of sleeplessness, ended up falling down with her, managing to save her from any damage but landing painfully on his back. 

“Haha!” He attempted to laugh off the pain and embarrassment.  
“You need to be more careful Marinette!” He said with a grin. Marinette flushed red and stared at him in shock. 

“Marinette?” Alya whispered.

Marinette suddenly, stood up, apologising and stammering.  
“I’m so sorry!” She said for the fifth time, “I- I- I didn’t realise and then wow hahaha-“ her sentence died off as she awkwardly scratched the back of her neck.  
“I have to go,” she announced before running out of the classroom. 

Adrien stood up and brushed himself off. Alya walked past him rolling her eyes. “That girl, I swear to god! Always so clumsy” She grinned at Adrien and began to walk away.

“Hey, Alya?” Adrien called out. Alya paused and turned to face him.

“Why is Marinette really that tired?”

Alya shook her head. “I honestly couldn’t tell you,” she replied,  
“I feel like she’s hiding something from me, from all of us, but I don’t know what... Whatever it is, it’s really tiring her out.”

“Honestly, I’m thinking the same with Adrien,” Nino smirked, “He’s always so tired as if he’s been out partying all night!” 

Adrien laughed awkwardly. “Out partying all night? What would my father think?”

~LB~  
Marinette ran to the empty locker rooms.  
“Ugh Tikki, why am I such a mess?”

Tikki glided our of Marinette’s bag. “Don’t say that Marinette! It could have gone a lot worse! At least it shows that he likes you enough to risk getting himself hurt in order to help you!”

Marinette blushed deeply. “I hope he wasn’t hurt too badly though. I didn’t even offer to help him up afterwards. Ohhh I just feel so bad!” 

There was a massive crashing noise from outside.

“Did you here that Marinette?” asked Tikki .

“Sounds like someone has been akumatised!” Marinette cried, “Tikki, Spots on!” 

The crashing noises were swiftly followed by screams. Ladybug swung through the streets of Paris in the direction of the sounds. She reached a rooftop where she could clearly see the akumatised victim. 

A giant scaled man was stood in the road, hauling cars over himself as he lay destruction in his wake. 

“Well Mi’lady, it looks like this one is gonna be tough!” Chat noir commented, landing beside Ladybug and grinning.

“Now now Kitty, you aren’t getting scared are you?” Ladybug smirked.

Chat noir looked offended.  
“Me? Scared? Mi’lady I can heartedly assure you that you’ll never come across a living being as brave as me!” He ended with a proud stance, his head tilted up, his eyes closed and his hand place on his chest.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Okay then brave boy, you’re up!”

Chat noir winked before leaping to a closer rooftop, using his staff to boost him towards the creature and spin kicking it in the eye. The creature grasped in the direction of chat noir, it’s depth of field failing miserably as it’s scaled hand fell beside it empty, missing by a few metres. 

Chat noir quickly climbed back onto the roof, kicking off again towards the creature and landing on its head.  
The creature shook in attempt to swing Chat noir off.

“Ladybug, would you mind assisting a certain stuck cat?”

Ladybug ran across the rooftops, throwing her yo-yo around the creatures arm and swinging around him so that he was wrapped up.  
The creature stopped shaking as it examined the situation.

Chat Noir took the chance to leap back over towards Ladybug. 

“Any idea of where to find the Akuma Mi’lady?”

Ladybug scrunched her face in concentration.  
“To be honest, I was hoping that you’d have the answer to that. I can’t think of anywhere it could be!”

The scaled monster began to break free of the yo-yo’s grip. 

“Uhhh now would be a good time for you to come up with one of your brilliant plans!” Chat noir stated, sprinting back towards the creature in attempt to blind it once again, but only resulting in aggregating it further. 

Ladybug pulled back her yo-yo as the creature escaped.  
“Lucky Charm!” She cried out.

 

~CN~  
Chat noir darted between the scaled creature’s grabs, using one of its feeble attempts as a pathway to its face. Once again, he attempted to blind it, this time succeeding.

“Oh no, you’re blind. What a Cat-astrophe!” 

The creature swatted at him, managing to catch his legs and sending him flying through the air while his staff fell away from him. 

“Ladybug!” He screamed as the ground grew closer.  
A sound of whizzing and then a tight tug around his waist told Chat noir that Ladybug had saved him once again. 

He was slowly lowered to the ground, landing firmly and sprinting over to his staff before skidding underneath the creature. On the other side he was joined by Ladybug who was holding a jack screw. 

“What on earth are we meant to do with that?” Chat noir commented.

“The last time I was given a jack screw was with animan when I had to jack open the croc’s mouth,” Ladybug pondered, “but I don’t see why I would need to do that now... unless... I’ve got it! Chat noir, distract him!” 

Ladybug swung back up to the rooftops, waiting for Chat noir to create a scene, who didn’t question Ladybug’s judgement.

“Hey! Scale face! You want my miraculous? You’re gonna have to catch me first!” Chat noir began to dive underneath the creature, running around its legs so that it was looking down. 

At that moment, Ladybug caught her yo-yo around its neck, swinging herself directly into its mouth, where she disappeared. 

Chat noir waited for her to use the jack to reopen its mouth, but nothing happened. 

“Bugaboo?” He whispered softly. 

The creature’s attention went back to him and the distracted cat found himself flung against a near building. He pulled himself up and boosted himself back onto the roof. The creature continued to grab for Chat noir, completely unphased by the fact that it had just eaten the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. I haven’t written anything in a long long time so this is my feeble attempt at getting back into it. There is nothing better than using something you’re passionate about to inspire you so I hope you enjoy it. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride ;) ~Røbyn


	2. A lot of falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all. Two Akuma victims in such a short amount of time... Something’s up...

~LB~  
Ladybug leapt into the mouth of the creature, sliding down its throat. It wasn’t time to use the jack just yet. 

She landed with a squelch inside its stomach, grateful that there was at least some space in there. She wasn’t so grateful for the awful smell though.   
Pinching her nose, she began to look around. It had to be here! It was dark, with only a little bit of light shining in down the creature’s throat and reflecting off the stomach muscle. Then she spotted it: A small pearl, hidden within the slime of the creature’s stomach. 

Marinette pulled a face as she reached for it, the stomach slime making it slip between her fingers. She groaned, frustrated. Finally she managed to get a grip on it and crush it, watching as the little butterfly fluttered out. She swung her yo-yo through the air, catching it swiftly. 

Not wanting to release it inside the stomach of the creature, she began making her way up the throat, desperately trying to not slip back down. 

Using the jack screw, she winched open the creature’s mouth, slipping out before quickly snatching the jack back. She released the butterfly while saying, “bye bye little butterfly,” and then threw the jack into the air, shouting “Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Everything began to reset to normal, the damage caused by the creature disappearing.

Before she knew it, a pair of arms were tightly wrapped around her and she was pulled into a hug. 

“Pardon me Mi’lady but I thought you were gone,” Chat whispered solemnly.

“Me? Gone? Now now Kitty, I thought you knew me better than that!”

Chat laughed a little but stayed holding on for a few seconds more before letting go. 

Ladybug noticed how serious Chat was looking, and the lack of puns was quite disturbing.

“Pound it?” She asked, holding her fist up.  
“Pound it,” Chat grinned, connecting their fists.

“As much as I’d like to keep you in my view for a little bit longer Mi’lady, you’re about to run out of time,” Chat joked half heartedly.

Ladybug realised she was on her last flashing dot and began to back away.   
“See you around Kitty,” she shouted, before turning around and running off.

Sometimes it was easy for her to forget how much Chat really loved her. She often thought of his playful flirting as just being his friendly personality. She’d seen how much he really cared before, but today it had really shown. She made a mental note to tell him what the plan was before doing something like that again.

~CN-  
Adrien dematerialised and crawled onto his bed. His mind kept replaying the moment when he thought Ladybug was gone for good. His heart had paused and his brain went numb. Now all he could think about was what life would be like if something happened to her. What would he do? 

Plagg munched his Camembert beside him.  
“Wowie I am super worn out after that one!”  
He noticed Adrien’s sad mood.  
“Hey, she’s alive right? So what’s there to worry about!”

Adrien sighed and rolled over.  
“I know Plagg, but that was just this time. We’ve both come close to death so many times. What if something happens in the future? Our luck can’t last forever!”

“Well ladybugs are the symbol of luck so who knows, maybe it can!” Plagg chirped, gulping down the rest of his cheese.

Adrien forced a grin.  
“You’re right. There’s no point worrying about stuff like this. We’ll have luck until the end!”

Adrien stood up, ready to make his way back to school, but before he could take another step, a screeching laugh echoed around the buildings of Paris.

“Hahaha, I am collectisect, collector of insects! Soon Paris will be overrun by my beauties!”

Adrien rushes to his window, trying to get a look at the Akuma victim. 

“Plagg, Claws Out!” He yelled, already half way out of his room. 

He jumped from building to building towards the screams of citizens. It wasn’t long before he saw what they were all so afraid of. Thousands of spiders were crawling down the streets of Paris, climbing the buildings and spinning webs. They were of all sizes; some as small as a button and others the size of a car. Then Chat Noir noticed other bugs; millipedes, woodlice and beetles, all coming from one person. 

She was stood on top of the Dupen-Cheng bakery, sneering at Chat Noir. 

“Hello there, Kitty,” she cropped her head to the side. Chat Noir faltered at her words. Could it be?...

“Only I’m allowed to call him that!” A voice came from behind Chat. Ladybug appeared next to him, staring straight at the Akuma victim. 

“Well now Ladybug, I thought you’d be happy to see me. Paris overrun by bugs? You’ll fit right in!” Collectisect jeered.

“I doubt your insects will bring you the same luck that Ladybug brings us!” Chat shouted, throwing himself towards her. 

“Get him!” Collectisect screamed.

Mid-air, two spiders jumped from the bakery, landing on Chat noir and pushing him down to the ground. He landed with a thud, his vision going hazy as spiders overtook his view. 

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug used her yo-yo to hit the spiders from him. Using all of his strength, Chat pushed himself back onto his feet, just in time to fight off the oncoming insects. 

 

~LB~  
Ladybug swatted the spiders off of Chat Noir who instantly tried to push himself back up. The insects surrounded him but he was ready to fight. Ladybug turned her attention back to Collectisect. 

“My insects are the most powerful and beautiful creatures you’ll ever see! You cannot defeat them!” She cried. The insects hesitated as she spoke.

“We’ll see about that. Lucky Charm!” Ladybug cried, slinging her yo-yo into the sky. 

“Please tell me you got some bug spray!” Chat Noir called up, mid fight against multiple bugs.

“Sadly not,” Ladybug replied, staring down at the magnifying glass she now held. What was she supposed to do? Burn the bugs? There were way too many for that and she feared they were much too large as well. 

Chat Noir jumped onto the rooftop beside her.  
“Here if you need me,” he chirped.

“What are you planning to do with that pathetic thing? Insects, grab their miraculouses!” Collectisect commanded.

The insects began to move again, making their way up the building towards them. The superheroes stood back to back, ready to face the oncoming swarms. 

“We need to get to her!” Ladybug told Chat Noir. They both leapt over to the building she stood on. She began backing away. The insects watched, but didn’t move.

“Why aren’t they coming for us?” Chat whispered.

The Collectisect shook her head and looked over to the insects. 

“Come get them my lovelies!”

The insects began advancing, blocking Chat Noir and Ladybug from Collectisect.

“That was so strange,” Ladybug said to herself, “They only started moving when she told them too.”

“So we just need to stop her from telling them what to do?” Chat asked, his ears pricked, and his eyes staring at the ground.

“I guess so, but what’s the magnifying glass for?” Ladybug pondered, “and how are we going to get past these bugs?”

Chat Noir had stopped listening. His attention was now on a little speck of light shining through the magnifying glass.

“He’s an actual cat I swear to god!” Ladybug grumbled.   
“Wait... he’s an actual cat...” Her eyes sparkled mischievously. 

“Here Kitty Kitty!” She sang, moving the dot of light around in circles. Chat was fixated. 

“And flick up!” Ladybug shone the light towards Collectisect. Chat Noir bounded over the swarm of insects. Nothing was going to stop him reaching that light.

Collectisect landed with a thud on her back as Chat Noir pounced on her. Ladybug quickly covered the magnifying glass. 

“Chat! Use your tail to cover her mouth!”

Chat Noir shook his head, looking around in a daze. He quickly regained his sense and took off his belt, wrapping up Collectisect’s mouth, but not fast enough.

“ATTACK HER!” She cried before her sentence was muted into mumbled nonsense.

The bugs advanced on Ladybug and Chat Noir made a move to help her.

“No! Find the Akuma!” Ladybug shouted, “I think it’s in her glove!” 

Chat Noir hesitated but did as Ladybug said, ripping the glove and releasing the Akuma.

Ladybug brought her yo-yo up, ready to catch the Akuma, but before she could get it, the giant insects bombarded her, snatching her yo-yo away from her. A big bug with long spider like legs clamped its mouth around her thigh, piercing it with its sharp teeth. 

She screamed, stumbling backwards, the weight of three massive spiders pushing her down the roof. The edge grew closer and closer. Ladybug put all of her strength into fighting them, but to no avail. She felt her foot slide off the tile and hit nothing but air. 

“Ladybug!” Chat Noir was fighting his way towards her, desperate to reach her before it was too late.   
Ladybug fell away from him, her hand outstretched, her face distorted into a scream. 

The fall lasted longer than she expected it to, giving her time to twist a spider beneath her to cushion her fall, but eventually the ground met her, and a sharp, jolting pain shot through her body. It felt like everything had been cracked in two, but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in her leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so many ideas for this fan fiction. I hope you’re all enjoying it :) Please comment your opinions. If you think I can improve it, please let me know how  
> ~Røbyn


	3. Chat Noir has to put his thinking cat on 👀

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s claw-ful 😓

~LB~  
She opened her eyes slowly. Chat Noir was hunched over her, tears streaming down his face.

“Please be okay. Please be okay,” she heard him whispered frantically.

“Hello Kitty,” She croaked out.

Chat Noir’s head snapped up to meet her gaze.

“You’re alive! Thank god...That’s the second death scare you’ve given me today!” He was now fully sobbing, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“I may have the luck of a ladybug, but I sadly don’t have the wings,” she attempted to joke.  
Her earrings started to bleep and she forced herself to sit up.

“I need to go. I’m about to detransform,” she winced as she tried to stand up. 

Chat Noir steadied her as she stumbled.

“I can’t leave you alone like this! I won’t tell anyone your identity, just please let me take you home! Or to the hospital!” Chat looked distraught but Ladybug shook her head.

“You know the rules my Kitty; I can’t let you know my identity. Please don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine! I’m already feeling better!” She took a step back from Chat, holding out her arms to show that she could stand by herself. She stifled the scream that ached to be released.

“Plus I need you to keep an eye on the Akumas now that one has escaped!”

“Okay, fine,” Chat sighed, “But please let me know that you’re okay when you get home?”

“You worry too much,” Ladybug chuckled, “but yes, I’ll let you know when I get home.”

She stroked away a tear from Chat’s face and he leaned into her hand.

“I can’t help but care for you Mi’lady,” Chat chirped. With a sigh, he turned and ran off.

Ladybug limped to the corner of a nearby building. Her home was just around the corner. Chat really didn’t need to worry so much.

“Tikki, spots off!” She wheezed. 

Tikki appeared beside her, falling into her hands as her suit dematerialised. Marinette fished out a macaroon for her.  
She then crouched down to peer at her leg. There was a deep gash, blood oozing out, accompanied by amber puss. 

“Ewww,” Marinette complained.

“That looks infected,” Tikki commented, “How are you feeling?”

Marinette sat down fully.  
“Um. A little bit dizzy, but I’m sure that’s just from the fall...” 

Tikki scowled.  
“You need to go to the doctor Marinette! This could be dangerous!”

Marinette bit her lip.  
“I think I need to go home, wash it out and then go find that Akuma, otherwise Paris will be destroyed!”

“Not before you end up destroying yourself!” Tikki argued.

“I’m going home Tikki. It’s for the best, I promise.”

Marinette began to limp home, wincing at every step. Tikki hovered next to her, a concerned look stretched across her face. 

Eventually Marinette reached the bakery and entered, peering around the door to make sure her parents weren’t around. It was silent.  
Half dragging her leg along, she slowly made it up the stairs to her room. At this point the world was spinning sickeningly. 

“I think I just need to lie down for a bit,” Marinette yawned, flopping onto her couch.

“Marinette!” Tikki chimed, “You need to wash out the wound!”

Marinette fought against the urge to close her eyes and attempted to stand up. She fell back down straight away. Her energy was now draining quickly.

“Marinette??” Tikki asked, concern in her voice.  
Marinette’s eyes closed and she fell into a pain tormented sleep.

Tikki rushed to her cheek.  
“MARINETTE! Wake up!”

Marinette stayed unconscious, murmuring nonsense and moving very slightly.  
In a panicked flurry, Tikki took off towards Master Fu’s house.

~CN~  
It was chaos. All around Paris, people were turning in bug like figures, waiting for commands. Although they appeared idle at the moment, Chat Noir knew they wouldn’t be for long. 

“This was all me?” The young lady half cried.  
Chat Noir looked down at the post-collectisect. 

“It’s not your fault! Hawkmoth akumatised you like any other citizen. Only this time, Ladybug and I failed at capturing the Akuma. It’s our fault this has happened!”

The young lady looked up at him.  
“But you’ll fix it right? Like you always do? You and Ladybug, saving Paris again and again!”

Chat gave her a slight smile.  
“Of course! As you said, we always do!”

The young lady climbed down onto the balcony.  
“I’ll be fine from here. Thank you,” she smiled, “Now go save Paris!”

Chat laughed and winked at her, “See ya!”  
He leapt back onto the rooftop.

Where was Ladybug? He was yet to receive a message from her that she was home. She had definitely been injured and now Chat was left worrying about her.

It would only take one negative emotion from the young lady for her to be akumatised again, resulting in Paris falling into destruction. What was he meant to do in that situation without her?  
He quickly took out his cat phone and messaged Ladybug, giving her his location. ‘Please hurry,’ he thought to himself.

That was when he heard arguing coming from the apartment that the young lady had just gone into. Chat sighed as he heard the anger in the young lady’s voice.

“You’ve got to be kitten me...” he mumbled as he climbed down onto the balcony and entered the flat, desperate to resolve the brawl before it was too late.

 

~Tikki~  
Tikki flew through the air as fast as she could, tears flooding down her face at the thought of her owner. She had to get to Master Fu before it was too late.

She reached his house and shot in through the window.

“Master Fu! Master Fu!”

Master Fu looked up as the small red Kwami.

“Tikki? What’s wrong?”  
He stretched out his hands so that she had a place to land.

“Master, it’s Marinette... She’s hurt! She was bitten by a giant insect and I think it got infected because she’s now fallen asleep and won’t wake up!”

“Hmm,” Master Fu pondered, stroking his chin and tilting his head, “There’s a chance that the insect was venomous, in which case you’ll need to identify what type of insect it was in order for me to concoct a cure for her.” 

He placed Tikki on his shoulder and pulled out a book from the shelf. 

“It should be in here somewhere,” he muttered, as he began flicking through the 1000 page bug book. Tikki flew down to help him look, knowing full well that time was not on their side.

 

~CN~  
“Come on! Try to think paw-sitively or you might get akumatised again!”  
Chat sighed, his ears drooping as the argument continued. It was no use.

“I’m sorry Chat Noir but I simply can’t allow her to keep her so-called ‘pets’ in this flat! They are disgusting creatures that shouldn’t be anywhere but under my shoe when I’m walking outside!”

“That’s so not fair!” The young lady screamed at her mum,  
“They have feelings too, you know! They are living beings that feel pain just like you or me!”

“They’re bugs!”

“Okay I have an idea!”  
Chat announced quickly as he noticed an Akuma fluttering outside the window.  
“So you don’t want the insects inside the house, correct?”

The mother nodded.

“So how about you just keep them somewhere else? Like outside on the balcony? Bugs are meant to be outside so they’d probably appreciate it!”

The young lady looked at her mother.

“I guess the balcony would be fine,” her mother finally sighed.

Chat Noir applauded himself silently as the Akuma began to drift away.

“Great! Now let’s keep those negative emotions at bay so that you don’t get akumatised again!” Chat grinned.

The young lady scowled at him and then, with a worried look on her face, she looked at her mother, who was stood in shock, staring at her daughter.

“You were aKuMaTiSeD?!” She half screamed.

“Oh no,” Chat muttered under his breath.

“Did you let some stupid bugs really get to you that much?!” The mother yelled.

Chat Noir watched, distressed, as the little purple butterfly grew closer and closer.

“NOW IS REALLY NOT THE TIME FOR ARGUING!” He yelled over the top of their voices. 

The mother looked like she was about to say something, but before she could, the little Akuma landed gently on the young lady’s bracelet. 

“Damn it,” Chat Noir cursed, pulling his staff out and getting ready to fight.

“My daughter! No!” The mother cried.

“Don’t worry ma’am, I’ll get your daughter back,” Chat Noir comforted her, watching as the Akuma took over. Soon Collectisect was back.

“Chat Noir, how lovely to see you again!” She looked around.  
“All alone? Where’s your precious Ladybug when you need her?” She shook her head.

“She’ll be here soon!” Chat hissed.

Collectisect laughed.  
“I sure hope so for your sake, or you have no chance of defeating me!”

Chat Noir considered his options. He couldn’t capture the Akuma and defeat Collectisect without Ladybug, especially now as the Akuma had spread to citizens all over Paris. 

Collectisect pushed past him and leapt out the window. 

“Come and get me Kitty!” She taunted.

Chat Noir was about to follow her when a little voice spoke by his ear.

“Chat Noir!”

He turned around in shock. A little, green turtle kwami was floating beside him. 

“Hello?” Chat Noir asked in shock.

“Chat Noir, you must come with me to see Master Fu! It’s urgent!”

Chat Noir stiffened.  
“Is it to do with Ladybug? Is she okay?” He asked, his voice beginning to shake.

“Ladybug will be fine if you come quickly!” The kwami insisted. 

Chat Noir nodded and followed the kwami away from Collectisect.

“That’s it! Run away my Kitty! Make sure you bring Ladybug with you when you return!”

Chat Noir ignored her, focusing on keeping up with the kwami as it zoomed overhead across the rooftops.  
Eventually they reached a small house. Chat Noir rushed in.

Master Fu was knelt on the ground. A book open in front of him and a mixture still bubbling in a pot.

“Chat Noir, sit down,” he said without looking up. Chat Noir did as he said, peering at the book in front of him. It appeared to be a book of facts about bugs.

“Ladybug is injured,” Master Fu jumped right to the point, “but she’ll be okay. However we don’t know how long it will take for her to recover. For this reason, you must swap kwamis so that you can capture the Akuma while she is healing.”

Chat Noir’s mouth fell open.  
“Wh-what?!” He gasped.

“It’s the only way for you to save Paris,” a small voice said from behind Master Fu. A little, red kwami appeared from over his shoulder.  
“Ladybug is the only one who can capture akumas. Without her power the Akuma will keep duplicating and spreading every time you break the akumatised object. Swapping kwami is the only opinion!”

Chat Noir’s mouth was dry. He’d always thought of himself as the jokester sidekick to Ladybug, but now he’d have to take the role of lead superhero.

“Of course, Chat Noir’s role in the fight is just as important as Ladybug’s,” Master Fu interrupted, as if he was reading Chat’s thoughts, “so the fight will be difficult until your Ladybug recovers enough to fight alongside you.”

Chat Noir stayed silent. 

“Tikki will lead you to her house, but first you must recruit some fellow superheroes. I’ll be giving you the two kwamis that Ladybug picks the most: Wayzz, the turtle kwami, and Trixx, the Fox kwami. Tikki knows who the heroes are and can lead you to them,” Master Fu explained. He picked up a glass bottle and filled it with the liquid in the pot, handing it to Chat Noir. “You must give this to Ladybug so that she can recover.”

Chat Noir nodded, trying to keep up.  
He had a sudden realisation.

“Wait... if I’m going to Ladybug’s house and swapping kwami with her... does that mean I- I’ll find out her identity..?”

Master Fu sighed.  
“Regrettably, we don’t have another option. You mustn’t take this lightly and, no matter what, you can’t tell her your identity!”

Chat Noir shook his head in shock.  
“That doesn’t sound fair... I’ll know her identity but she won’t know mine...”

“Life’s not fair! Now, you need to get going before it’s too late! Tikki, lead the way!”  
Master Fu commanded as he gave Chat Noir the Fox kwami necklace and the turtle kwami bracelet.

Tikki flew up to Chat Noir and nodded at him before flying out of the house. Chat Noir followed close behind her, not wanting to waste a second, but his mind felt cloudy. He’d always wanted to know the love of his life’s identity, but it felt so wrong to find out this way. He couldn’t help wonder who she was though, and a slight chill of excitement buzzed in his veins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much is going on! What will Chat Noir think of Ladybug’s identity? 👀 Sorry about all these cat puns btw... Nah I’m not really haha, even though they are pretty ap-paw-lling! I hope you enjoyed this chapter ;) ~Røbyn

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. I haven’t written anything in a long long time so this is my feeble attempt at getting back into it. There is nothing better than using something you’re passionate about to inspire you so I hope you enjoy it. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride ;) ~Røbyn


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